This invention relates generally to golf bags, and more particularly to such bags with built-in stabilizing means for supporting them in an upright or standing position on a horizontal surface.
Applicant does not profess to be the first to conceive of the idea of providing a golf bag with stabilizing means adjustable between a supporting mode adapted to maintain a bag in a standing position and a carrying and storage mode in which it can be compactly stowed in a car trunk or the like for transportation, or put away in a place of storage. Early disclosures of such means can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,606,113 to Walcott; 1,715,1O1 to Shanahan; 1,715,668 to Mooney; 1,904,731 to Harris; 1,918,447 to Blatz and 2,275,297 to Hearnshaw. A review of these patents will reveal that each of the first five discloses a mechanical contrivance for attachment to or incorporation in a golf bag which has a plurality of members movable between outspread positions of support for the golf bag and either vertical or steeply angular positions relative to the horizontal (when the bag is upright) to allow compact stowage of the bag in a car trunk for carrying and otherwise contribute to its convenient handling and storage. Each of these prior art expedients involves the movement of stabilizing legs or the like in two dimensions and requires the use of mechanical hardware inherently subject to malfunction and/or breakdown to accomplish such compound movement. The sixth one of the above-listed patents (to Hearnshaw) shows golf bag support means comprising four "wings" that are movable between extended positions to support the bag in upright position and folded positions under the bottom of the bag when support is not needed. This too involves movement of bag stabilizing members in two dimensions with concomitant need for cooperating parts and hardware subject to wear and potential breakdown. Possibly for this reason, none of the golf bag stabilizing or standing support systems in any of the above-noted patents is presently in commercial use insofar as I am aware. Nor has any golfer with whom I have discussed this matter ever heard that such a golf bag support device or feature has ever been commercially available at any time, now or in the past. The fact that prior art attempts have been made to provide golfers with means for holding golf bags in a standing position as desired without adversely affecting the transportation and handling characteristics of such bags attests to the existence of a long standing need for a solution to this problem. This need was obviously recognized before Walcott (the patentee of the oldest of the above-listed patents) came up with his proposed solution and subsequently filed his patent application (in 1925).